TOUGH ALL OVER

Officials at the education ministry say the number of college dropouts is rising, with “financial difficulties” being the leading cause.

Meanwhile, the labor ministry says 22 percent of salaried employees under age 35 work more than 50 hours a week.

Members of the Board of Audit claim that, between fiscal 2010 and 2012, medical associations in 34 prefectures overcharged the central government by more than ¥1.3 billion for reimbursements related to treatments for the elderly.

And the National Federation of Health Insurance Societies reports that a record number of Japanese people have medical expenses of at least ¥10 million a month.

HOT UNDER THE COLLAR

Japanese researchers say they’re having difficulty mass producing spider silk strings. The reason? Arachnids “tend to eat each other if they are kept together.”

The government approved a plan by Hokkaido Electric Power Co. to raise its rates by 15.3 percent early next year.

Authorities at the Fire and Disaster Management Agency are crediting “a relatively cool August” with the nearly 4 percent drop in heatstroke cases this summer compared to last.

Bottom Story of the Week: “More Japanese Turning Nouns Into Verbs in Conversation: Survey” (via Mainichi Japan)

Compiled from reports by AP, Japan Today, The Japan Times, Jiji, The Tokyo Reporter, The Mainichi, The Japan News, AFP, Reuters and Kyodo